McNair had owned the team since its inception.
Bob McNair, owner of the Houston Texans since 1999, has died at age 81. The team released a statement about his passing on Friday.
“It is with deep sadness that we announce Houston Texans Founder, Senior Chairman and Chief Executive Officer and philanthropist, Robert C. McNair passed away peacefully in Houston today with his loving wife, Janice, and his family by his side,” the Texans’ statement read.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien and general manager Brian Gaine also offered their condolences, with both saying how much McNair cared about the staff and players.
Other tributes came in from Texans players and former president George H.W. Bush:
Rest In Peace Mr. McNair. Thank you for giving myself and so many others an opportunity here in Houston. My thoughts are with Janice, Cal and the entire McNair family.
— JJ Watt (@JJWatt) November 24, 2018
My prayers are with the McNair family right now! Thank you for the opportunity to represent your team.
— Tyrann Mathieu (@Mathieu_Era) November 24, 2018
This man changed the lives of so many people in this great city and around the country. Thank you for giving me an opportunity to fulfill my dreams and drafting me to play for this distinguished organization. Thank you Mr. McNair. Rest In Peace and God be with the McNair family. https://t.co/nKseQW61KI
— Christian Covington (@thetangibleC4) November 24, 2018
Statement by former President @GeorgeHWBush on the very sad news that his dear friend Bob McNair of the @HoustonTexans passed today. pic.twitter.com/kFm5aya18J
— Jim McGrath (@jgm41) November 24, 2018
McNair brought the NFL back to Houston after Bud Adams moved the then-Oilers in 1997 to Tennessee, where they became the Titans. Adams cited the inability to get a new stadium built, but McNair worked with city officials on what became Reliant Stadium and is now NRG Stadium. The Texans joined the NFL in 2002 as an expansion team.
“His leadership and determination brought the NFL back to Houston, built a magnificent stadium that hosted two Super Bowls, and his beloved Texans are in the midst of another successful season and are again contending for a place in the postseason,” NFL commissioner Roger Goodell said in a statement.
“But above all, Bob was a family man. I extend my heartfelt condolences to Janice, their family, the Texans, and the entire Houston community.”
In recent years, McNair had run into controversy. He gave money and later withdrew the donation, to a campaign that was working against Houston’s Equal Rights Ordinance. At last fall’s owners meeting, he said the NFL can’t have “inmates running the prison” when the topic became about protests during the national anthem. McNair apologized after facing backlash from the players, but he later said he regretted the apology.
The Texans’ statement noted that McNair and his foundations had donated more than $500 million in his lifetime, including $1 million to Hurricane Harvey relief efforts last year.
Although a cause of death was not given, McNair had battled skin cancer in recent years. His son Cal, who is the chairman and chief operating officer of the Texans, is expected to take over for his father, according the Houston Chronicle’s John McClain.